The Iranian graduate student who sparked a now-reversed UMass admissions policy is not allowed back in the US

The University of Massachusetts graduate student who reportedly
sparked a controversial — and now-reversed — school policy to bar
Iranian students from studying in certain engineering and science
programs says she was "heartbroken" when she suddenly wasn't
allowed to continue her research.

In a new interview with NBC News, former UMass graduate
student Zahra Khalkhali said the university dropped its
sponsorship of her in January, during a routine immigration check
into her research while she was visiting family back home in
Iran.

Khalkhali was a second-year doctoral student in UMass' Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering Department, conducting research "on
fuel cells used to produce clean energy," according to NBC News —
describing her as "an accidental victim of diplomatic red tape."

Khalkhali told NBC News that
when she tried to return to the US following her dismissal from
UMass, she was handcuffed, held overnight, and deported.

"I was very shocked and heartbroken," Khalkhali told NBC News.

Both UMass and the US government were aware of what she was
studying and had deemed it safe, according to Khalkhali. She told
NBC News that she assumed she would be welcome in the US after
the State Department approved her visa, even without UMass'
support.

"They were all aware of my research," Khalkhali said. "The
university was aware what my PhD thesis was about."